Movistar bilks Colombian iPhone customers?

With the release of the iPhone 3G in Colombia, Movistar has finally announced its pricing plans, leading some customers to call them unfair and overpriced. Movistar did not release any pricing information until half an hour before the official launch; this meant customers who lined up early were unsure as to what the cost would be when they walked up to the counter. One customer reports he was so outraged with the pricing that he walked away without the device he just spent time waiting in line for.

The base iPhone package offered costs COL$74,900 ($40) a month and gives users 250 minutes of network talk, 100 minutes of talk to other networks, 100 SMS messages and 250 MB of data. For users looking to purchase this plan they will pay COL$906,818 ($487) or COL$1,128,251 ($605) for the 8GB and 16GB devices respectively. Another option for customers is a package at COL$149,900 ($80) per month; this gives users 800 minutes of network talk, 300 minutes of talk to other networks, 200 text messages and 500 MB of data. The device on this plan will cost COL$659,930 ($354) or COL$917,363 ($492) for the 8GB and 16GB iPhones respectively. The final option costs COL$278,900 ($150) per month and offers 1800 minutes of network talk, 500 minutes of talk to other networks, 300 text messages and 1 GB of data. On this plan the 8GB and 16GB phones will cost COL$485,042 ($260) and COL$706,475 ($380) respectively. Each of these plans require a two year commitment.